Custody Battle
by Sky-Pirate-Tat
Summary: Sequel to Baby Blues, Layton/Luke Layton and Luke get into a fight over parenting styles, threatening to pull them apart completely.


**A/N: Sequel to "Baby Blues". If you haven't read that yet you shouldn't read this yet or you won't understand what's going on.**

It was a normal day in the Layton household, though July felt unbearably hot. Luke suggested that they stopped wear clothes, an argument he had tried every summer since Layton could remember. And despite his thought that drawing the curtains would maintain their privacy, Hershel maintained that they would both walk about the household clothed like proper gentlemen.

It wasn't that often in the summer Luke threw his clothes off in retaliation and jumped Layton. It was ironic- an excuse to cool down- but the ensuing activity did nothing but escalate their body temperature.

_Beep Beep._

Following the urgent cry of Layton Jr., there was a flash of brights pouring into the curtained windows.

They were both used to interruptions, as annoying as they were. Sometimes it seemed as if Layton Jr. knew what his daddies were up to.

Luke lazily redressed and opened the front door, walking outside barefoot. Layton slowly dressed, listening to Luke coo and ask Layton Jr. what was wrong or if he needed an oil change.

Layton heaved a sigh, putting his top hat back on. Layton was an easygoing man; little peeved him in the slightest, or rather he was able to ignore it. Sex was one of those things- until Luke had perverted him. Since then, on occasions such as now, it frustrated him to be "teased." He was sure the moment would arise soon, but still, he was _really_ in the mood.

"Good, you're dressed." Luke returned, buttoning his shirt. "Layton Jr. wanted to practice driving." Luke looked at Layton pointedly, concerned. His voice had sounded enthusiastic, but Luke's arms were crossed and he was leaning against the door frame, expecting Hershel to shoot down the automobile's wishes.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Layton said, leaning towards agreeing with Luke, but teetering more closely to his principles. Denying a chil- er- car- er, child, er- someone... knowledge and confidence wasn't something admirable in a parent. Layton Jr. honked ecstatically in response and bounced up and down.

Luke scowled. "You're going to wear your tires down."

Slowly Layton Jr. stopped and sulked. His front lights beamed in Layton Sr.'s direction pleadingly.

"Just around the house."

Junior spun in circles. Luke followed Layton, shooting glares at his back as he climbed into the driver's seat.

Of course, Layton Jr. knew how to drive- it was the trusting-the-driver part that unnerved the adolescent automobile. When he had first devotedly trusted his fathers, he was too young to cart them around. Now as a teenager it was scary, and vaguely annoying to have his parents hold his steering wheel and tell him where to go.

But, he had decided that he would have to do this sooner or later. sIt had nothing to do with the fact that his friends were all already driving with passengers.

"There you go," Layton said as they drove through the countryside. The drive around the house had quickly turned into a longer lesson. By that time, Luke's piercing glare had subsided and he was looking out the window, bored.

From the corner of his eye, Luke spotted a cat streaking across the road in Junior's line of driving. "Professor, watch out!"

Thinking purely on instinct, the driver spun the wheel harshly, successfully dodging the cat, as well as making Layton Jr.'s tires shriek in alarm. The car panicked and spun out of control. Luke gripped his seat and stared with wide eyes. He had to save his baby, an impossible task when he was its passenger... He nodded, determined, and began to unbuckle his seat belt. Layton stopped the man with his arm and flinched under Luke's disapproval. Right then, the car stopped, though Luke's disdain and disapproval did not.

X

"You could have killed him!"

"I did not kill him."

"But you stopped me when I was going to save hi-"

"Luke! Listen to yourself. You can't stop a car spinning out of control."

"Well... I- I could have. But you wouldn't let me. What if Junior had died because of this? And another thing- it was your fault to begin with. You could have just braked, but noooooo, you had to be all fancy and swerve."

"Luke, calm down. We all came out perfectly fine."

"And what if we hadn't?"

Layton inwardly groaned. He had hoped the argument would end, but it continued to be brought up again and again, as well with other creeping problems. Long gone were the joyful days of summer. Luke complained about the heat, but didn't throw off his clothes, or even make the suggestion.

He was sure the summers from then on would be nothing but a dry unbearable heat, especially when Luke decided to leave- he and Layton Jr. were moving in with Flora.

"You don't have to worry about child support." Luke said before he left. "I have a teaching job over there."

"I'm glad." Layton tried to smile. Smiling was dangerous; even if was meant sincerely, Luke would be convinced it was sarcasm or vice, or forced.

Layton was glad for the peace that followed Luke's departure, but as time went on, the peace was... depressing.

The day when Layton turned the key on his car to hear the ragged hiccup of the motor, he really did worry. When the engine died with a sort of weary finality, his head fell onto the wheel and the horn honked a final time.

X

"Luke... um... may I have the Laytonmobile back?" he nervously and politely asked over the phone. There was silence on the other line. He imagined the younger man wearing an annoyed expression.

"No."

"I'm his father too," Layton pressed.

"Not a responsible one, might I add," Luke retorted. "Sure, you took care of me as a child, but you failed to be responsible for iour/i child."

"You know I care about Junior just as much as you."

"Then why didn't you jump out and do a barrel roll to save him?!"

"I- I did the best I could I tried to keep a hold of the steering wheel so we wouldn't slide into a ditch. Luke? ...Luke?"

The dial tone responded and Layton hung up also, torn in two. It wasn't just that his car had broken down- no, that was only an excuse for him to try to talk to Luke. Maybe, he thought if he had a viable reason for calling, Luke would feel bad and come back.

Flora _did_ say in her last letter that Luke wasn't restless at all. This was a surprise to them both. Luke was normally overly energetic when something was wrong. Instead, he was somber, 'looking out the window as he graded papers,' Flora recalled, and mentioned that the Laytonmobile Jr. had noticed the dimness in his father's eyes.

The first letter was hard to set aside. However, as the months passed and more letters expressing the same concern came, Layton found it increasingly impossible to throw them away. He simply let the depressing news sit on his desk, distracting him from his work. Lucky, for his students he was very lenient this year, as well as more physically fit- without a car he walked to work. He considered buying a car, but car shopping only reminded him of Jr. and then of Luke.

Layton was ecstatic when Flora called, asking for his company over spring break. He wlked straight for the train when he let out his class. On the train ride to see Flora- no- to see Luke, to see Jr.- Layton thought about what he would say. He wanted everything to be the way it had been but he knew it couldn't, not after months of vexation; not to mention that it had been so long since he had seen Luke. He expected Luke to be different. Luke could be only slightly different and it would put him off, Layton thought. It was one thing to scarcely notice someone change in your company, but to be away so long and be hit with the change...

"Perhaps, if only for closure." Layton nodded. The train stopped and he claimed his suitcase. He walked through the station, through a crowd of others waiting for their loved ones. There was Flora, and- well, no wonder it wasn't hard to find them- Jr. was there also, honking desperately for his father's attention. However, not shockingly, Luke wasn't there.

"How have you been, Professor?" Flora asked, leading them to her and her husband's house. The Laytonmobile and Hershel followed, side by side. Layton was somewhat blinded by his son's brights on (he was that excited), but let it go, opting to hold his hand in front of the blinding light.

"Well, my dear," he said.

"You're the same as Luke." She sighed.

"Pardon?"

She shook her head. "Is that where he learned it from? You? Holding back feelings...?" she whispered.

The professor was rude for that moment, casually ignoring that comment.

X

Luke wasn't around when he arrived, nor was he at dinner. Everyone knew the reason- Luke was avoiding the professor. It was such for the next few days. Flora suspected that Luke was hiding in the garage; else the Laytonmobile wouldn't look so ecstatic at being sent to bed... and, well, catching Luke sneaking food into the garage was a huge clue too.

On his last day at Flora's, Layton was roused by a 'beep beep' followed by brights. From the guestroom window Layton saw Jr.'s pleading stare.

"Just a moment."

BEEEEP BEEEEEEEEP. The car's tone was alarming and he was spinning in circles in Flora's rose garden.

"I- is something wrong?"

The Laytonmobile drove towards the west and back, back and forth. Layton wondered what the trouble was when he recalled the river that ran from the wes-

Luke!

A situation such as this was too dire to change out of his pajamas. Layton ran outside barefoot, hissing under his breath at the stones knicking the soles of his feet. Jr. opened the driver's side door and Layton jumped in and pressed the pedal- HARD. The screech roused Flora. When she looked out the window, she saw the deep indention of tire tracks- and then fumed at her ruined rose bush.

X

"Luke!"

He saw him standing beside the river, staring intently at its waters. He jumped out of the Laytonmobile Jr. and grabbed the young man before he could think of jumping.

"What on earth are you-"

"I should ask the same! You were going to kill yours-"

"W-what?!" Luke blanched. "I was sitting here because Jr. told me he had a sur... pri... se... for... me."

They both turned to the beaming child, er, car.

"Well, anyway, I must be going." Luke wiggled from underneath Layton and gave a furtive sideways glance.

"Luke. Listen to me."

"I've had enough. I told you that already."

"I only wanted to talk. I had no intention of trying to get you ba-"

Luke froze and spun around, "what? You've forgotten about me already?!"

"No Of course not!"

"But you just said you didn't plan to get me ba-"

"I thought you wanted me to leave you alone. You ignored my calls."

"No! I just wanted-"

"Wanted what? To drag me on some game?"

"No." Luke scratched his head and looked away, "I know it's childish, but... I pushed you away so you would try more."

"I figured as much. However, I did try- VERY hard- and still you continued to... Luke." He sighed.

"I'm sorry. I knew I was stupid; that's why I avoided you. I haven't grown up at all." He scuffed his foot on a rock and looked up. Well..." Luke offered his hand and the professor gawked at the gesture.

"Shake. You wanted closure, correct?"

He took his hand. On the third pump, he pulled away. "I'm... I'm glad we could have an understanding."

"Yeah..."

"I'll be seeing you."

"Right. Feel free to visit anytime." Luke glanced at the red vehicle. "...I was wrong then. I was still in shock at the time... to think that our car was almost seriously injured and I could do nothing about it. I felt so powerless."

"Luke." Hershel placed his hands on the young man's shoulderblades. "It's all right."

"Prof- professor..." Luke raised his head, his lips nearing the man's mouth...

The Laytonmobile made the final move in his plan and turned his radio on.

_I just can't fight this feeeeeeeeeeling anymooooooooore_


End file.
